Thank God for the Kitchen Floor
by FacetiousUndertones
Summary: Set right after the incident at the mines- diverges from canon after that. Emma shows up at Regina's house after they saved Henry from the mines. What started off as weekly dinners, evolved into so much more- perhaps, it was everything they were waiting for. Small one shot that was part of a larger story I wrote a long time ago-Hoping to get me out of this writing rut w/ESS


Henry was home. Henry was safe. The incident at the mines weighed heavily on Regina's mind-she could have lost him. Her heart had hole in it for so long, she couldn't imagine experiencing that feeling again. The fear of that emptiness started to consume her. She was pulled from the deafening thoughts by a knock at the door. Who would dare knock on her door, and at this hour?

Despite the overwhelming desire to whip open the door to scare whomever was stupid enough to approach her house, Regina opened it slowly as Henry was just in the other room. She felt her eyes narrow as she spoke, "Miss. Swan, I am fairly certain that I did not invite you. And since I did not invite you, there is no reason for you to be here. Henry and I have had a very long day and do not wish to be disturbed."

"Cut the crap, Regina. I've had just as long a day as you. I wanted to check in on the kid…" Emma's eyes welled up, "We...almost lost him today."

"And who is to blame? Ever since you came to town his head has been filled with such nonsense!" Regina was gearing up for a fight, but Emma was determined to not give her one. "I'm not playing this game tonight, Regina. We both went through something today. Today could have played out very differently. Can't we, for just tonight even, pretend to get along for the kid in there." Emma met Regina's eyes. She saw the fierceness in them, the hardness that had to have come from loss, and the love for Henry. Regina made no move, so Emma turned to leave. "Dinner is almost done, you may eat with us if you wish. Henry is in the living room reading. You may join him." And with that, Regina left for the kitchen.

Emma didn't hesitate. She took off her boots and quickly joined Henry in the living room. "Hey kid" She smiled as she sat next to him. "Emma! What are you doing here?" He glanced around to see if his Mom was anywhere near. "Your mom let me come see you, I'm even having dinner here tonight." She ruffled his hair and they started speaking about the book he was reading for school.

Regina was lost in her thoughts as she set the table. She didn't even notice Emma had come up behind her. "Is there anything I can do?" Emma had obviously startled Regina and she tripped. Emma instinctively reached out and grabbed her arm, steadying her. Both moved as if they had been burned. "You've done quite enough." Regina left to get the food. Emma sighed and followed, not giving up. "Let me do something, it's the least I can do." Regina pointed to the salad bowl, no words spoken. Internally she was struggling, she had always done this alone, it was nice having someone to share it with. No, she wasn't about to let Henry's birth mother come in and take her place. Henry was HERS. She was raising him, not Emma. But still, looking at the blonde made something stir inside her. Shaking off the thoughts, Regina carried the casserole dish to the dining room table, placing it carefully on the trivet. "Henry, dinner. Wash up, please." Regina returned to the kitchen to grab a bottle of wine.

Returning to the dining room a few minutes later, she watched as Henry told Emma where to sit. "This one's mine, that one is moms, you sit here," he told her while pulling out the chair for her to sit. "Thanks, kid." Emma smiled up at him. Regina walked over, not expecting the same treatment. But her heart swelled when he quickly rounded the table to do the same for her. "Here Mom." Henry smiled, a smile that reminded Regina of when he was younger and unsure of what he was doing. "Thank you, my prince."

Dinner was well underway, but Emma would not stop praising Regina's cooking. "My gods kid, you eat like this all the time? I would literally do nothing but eat if your mom's cooking was available to me all the time." Regina wasn't sure what Emma's angle was, but she smiled and nodded at the compliment. Regina went back to eating and Emma couldn't help from glancing up at her. Like this, she looked free, open and honest, and like this was everything. Emma's heart hurt. On one hand, she gave this up, the chance to look at Henry like that. On the other, she gave this to him. She gave him his best chance, and he received Regina.

Henry looked between his mom's. He loved them both. He didn't know Emma a whole lot yet, but there was a love there he couldn't quite explain. He knew he loved his mom, even if things were rough. Maybe Emma was the savior, but maybe her job was to save their little family. He swallowed his bite quickly, "I know that I scared you both today. I wanted to let you both know that I heard what you said earlier, outside the mines. I will let up on the curse stuff. I'm sorry." He tried to meet their eyes, but his head hung low and he started at his fidgeting hands. "Umm...so this is really nice. Can we do this again...soon?"

Regina and Emma looked at each other in surprise, both wondering what the other was thinking. Regina broke the silence, "Henry, we will talk about that another time, finish your green beans." Emma just smiled and shrugged her shoulders, hoping to give the kid a signal that she would figure this out with his mom.

The remainder of dinner went smoothly, with very little conversation; even so, a sense of familiarity filled the room. Regina and Emma bickered briefly about the after dinner chore. After Henry intervened, it was determined that Emma would clear the table, Regina would do the dishes, and Henry would go to bed. Henry walked up and gave Emma the biggest hug he could, "I'm sorry again, for today. I loved you being here with us for dinner. It felt like a real family." Emma ruffled his hair, but before she could respond, he ran upstairs. She entered the kitchen and cleared her throat, "I'm sure you heard that." The only response from Regina was, "mmmm." Emma grabbed the last plate from the counter and handed it to her. "Do you have some time to talk? Or listen? There are some things I need to say." Emma stood, waiting for Regina's reply. Regina braced herself on the edge of the sink. She was leaning slightly forward, so her hair fell into her face. Emma was just staring at her from the side, wondering why she never realized how beautiful she was. She took a deep breath. "I'll grab the cider, you head to the study."

When Regina returned, she found Emma pacing the study. She was slightly taken aback by the look on her face. "Sit down, you're giving me a headache." Regina poured two glasses of the cider. As she sat down, she handed one to Emma, their fingers touched slightly and Emma's face shot up to meet Regina's. After a few moments of silence, Regina couldn't take it anymore. "You are the one who asked to talk," annoyance clear in her voice. Emma downed the drink, ready for her monologue. "Let me get this out, ok?" Emma took in a deep breath and looked Regina right in the eyes. "I don't want to fight anymore. It's not good for Henry. I am not trying to take him from you. I just want to be a part of his life. I'm not asking to be his mother, you have done a remarkable job at that. He has grown to be more than I could have ever imagined...I didn't have a family growing up, I didn't know love. He does. The way you look at him, makes my heart break. Not because I'm sad that I didn't have it, but because I did the right thing. I gave him his best chance. You, Regina, were his best chance. You gave him everything. I can never replace that. I wouldn't want to. I just want to be there for him too. I even have this stupid idea that maybe you and I could be amicable? Friends one day? I don't know. I just know that this is everything I want for him, and more. I don't want our fighting, to tear a rift between you and him. I don't want this to be me against you. What can I do? Is this possible? Is any of this possible?" Emma didn't realize that sometime during her speech, she started looking down at her fidgeting hands while speaking. She didn't realize, that Regina noticed that she looked just like Henry. They sat in silence, anticipation growing on how Regina would respond.

Truth was Regina was blown away. She never wanted validation. She would never admit that she craved someone to tell her exactly what Emma Swan just did. She would never admit that tonight, she had felt something years of pain and vengeance, buried deep within her. She straightened her posture, "Tuesday dinners and saturday outings." Emma's smile reached her ears. "But let me warn you, Miss. Swan. Do not cross me. I am a force to be reckoned with." Emma's smile faded briefly, "I understand. But, in order for this to work, you have to stop assuming that I WILL cross you, Madame Mayor." Regina stood and smoothed out the invisible wrinkles of her skirt. "It's getting late, and I would like to get some sleep." Emma shot up from the couch, "Of course. I'll let myself out. Goodnight Regina, and thank you."

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A month had gone by, during which the weekly dinners and outings had been fairly pleasant. There was the instance of the spilled gravy...and the broken cup... and the muddy boot prints- but overall, things were going good. They had fallen into a rhythm, a level of comfort that only a family could have. Regina and Emma still bickered, but it was friendly. Henry's grades had improved, and so had Regina's mood. Tuesday after school, Henry entered the kitchen. "Mom?" Henry looked around, he was sure she was in here. "MOM?" he called louder. Regina came up from the basement holding a bottle of wine. "Did you call me?" She looked at Henry and smiled. "Yeah, I wanted to know if, after dinner, I could go to Jack's house to work on our project. His dad said I could spend the night and he would take me to school tomorrow. Please please please!" Henry was sporting the puppy dog eyes and pouty lip. He clasped his hands together and shook them, "I know I'm not supposed to sleep over on school nights, but tomorrow is a half day and it's presentation day. AND I'll stay for our family dinner with Emma tonight. PLEEEEASE!" Regina rolled her eyes playfully at her son's attempts to win her over. Little did he know, it worked. "You must go finish all of your other homework before dinner, and I need a promise that you won't stay up too late." Henry rushed his mom and hugged her as hard as he could, "Thank you, thank you thank you! I'm going to do it right now!"

The work day ticked on slowly for Emma. Being the sheriff meant a lot of small things during the day, not counting that dreaded pile of paperwork Regina always bugged her about. She glanced at the clock and smiled, it was finally time for some good grub.

Across the small town, Regina was just setting the table for dinner. She heard the kitchen timer go off just as the doorbell rang. She called to Emma to just come in as she made her way to the kitchen. "Take your boots off!" Emma shook her head, "Forget one time and she'll nag you forever." Suddenly, the heavenly smell made its way to her nose. She moaned out loud, and quickly made her way to the kitchen, bottle of wine under her arm. Regina was standing a the counter, dish in front of her. Emma walked up behind her, placed her hand on the small of Regina's back, and leaned over her to see what food was giving off that amazing smell. Regina still wasn't used to the contact and jumped, burning her thumb on the dish. "OUCH!" Emma started profusely apologizing and grabbed Regina's hand to rush her to the sink to put it under cold water. After a few moments under the water, Regina said, "It's ok." Emma still held Regina's hand under the running water. Regina reached across with her free hand and placed it on Emma's forearm, "Emma, it's ok." Emma blinked and came to, "You sure? I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to startle you into burning yourself!" Regina turned off the water. "It's fine, not even blistering. See?" She held up her thumb for Emma to see.

They quickly returned to bickering- Emma was still feeling guilty about the burn, so she made Regina sit at the table while she finished bringing everything to the table. "Henry, dinner!" Regina called up the stairs. Henry came bounding down and saw his mother sitting at the table while his other mother ran around setting the food at the table. He didn't know when, exactly, he started referring to Emma as Ma, but it felt good. "Uhh, Mom?" he said, pointing to Emma, "What's ma doing?" Regina threw her head back and laughed, "I have a silly little burn on my thumb, and Emma seems to think I am suddenly incapable of finishing up dinner." Emma returned with the tray of lasagna. "I accidentally startled your mom and she burned her hand. Since it's my fault, I told her to sit while I brought everything out. She's just worried i'm going to eat all of this heavenly lasagna. All Henry could do was smile, "You're a dork." Emma stuck her tongue out at him, for his remark.

Once they were all served, Emma sat down and looked at her plate like she had been in the desert for a week and someone handed her a large glass of ice water. Regina chuckled, "It won't bite, Emma. Although, It has red pepper flakes for a kick." Regina winked at her, and she went weak in the knees. What was happening? Emma dug her fork in and took a bite. She moaned really loud, and was promptly kicked in the shin. Emma shrugged her shoulders, "What? It's sooooo good!" Henry laughed, completely unaware of the look his mother was giving his ma. Regina sat- mouth smirked and eyebrow raised, at the sound that had just come from Emma. She was equally aroused and grateful for the compliment that came from the beautiful blondes mouth. She couldn't believe, however, that she moaned that loud in front of their son.

Henry scarfed the rest of his food down and asked to be excused. He ran upstairs to get his things, and Emma just stared questioningly at Regina. "He is spending the night at Jack's house, they're finishing some project." Emma shook her head in acceptance, "Look who's being the cool mom now?" Regina placed her hand on her chest, pretending to be hurt, "I am always the 'cool mom,' Miss. Swan." It was Emma's turn to throw her head back and laugh. "Back to Miss. Swan, eh? I must be doing something right!" The pair continued laughing as Henry came bounding down the stairs. He kissed each of their cheeks, "Love you Mom...Love you Ma. Have fun, see you tomorrow!" He was out the door so fast. Emma sat back and took a moment to absorb all that had happened, and where they were now. She was pulled from her thoughts when Regina stood to clear the table. "Regina, you know that's my job," she smiled. "I thought tonight we would mix it up a bit. I'll let you do the dishes." Emma replied, "I suppose I can do that for you, Madame Mayor. I do have one request though…" Regina rolled her eyes, "Yes?" Emma smiled, "Can I have a glass of the best apple cider I've ever tasted?" Regina laughed, "Yes, of course."

Who knew doing dishes would be so...fun? Regina always enjoyed doing the dishes, because cleaning soothed her, gave her a purpose, kept her hands busy. Right now, though, she thought it was fun. Emma was covered in soapy water. That woman obviously had no clue how to properly wash dishes. She didn't mind, though. This was far too entertaining to correct. She was standing, back against the counter, a couple feet from Emma Swan- and all she could think about was how right this felt. And it scared the crap out of her. She took the final sip of her second glass of cider, and bumped Emma aside to finish the last of the dishes. "There's a blue blouse hanging in the laundry room. You'll remember the one. Put that on, and place yours on top of the washer." Emma went to step away and slipped on the floor. She reached out for something to steady herself, grabbing and pulling Regina down with her instead.

They landed on the kitchen floor with a loud thud. Emma's eyes were closed tight as the feeling of her back hitting the cold, wet floor and the hot, body pressed on top of her, came flooding in her brain. Regina was breathing rather heavy and Emma opened her eyes, expecting to see a furious Regina. Instead, she was met with Regina looking at her, pupils blown and mouth slightly agape. She didn't know what overcame her, but she leaned up, closing the distance between them, touching her lips to plump red ones. Both sets of eyes fluttered closed as they were kissing in perfect rhythm. It was like coming home. Fireworks exploding behind their eyes, as their hands started wandering, grasping at each others bodies. Regina's mouth ended up just below Emma's ear, sucking and licking at the pale neck- eliciting a loud moan from the woman below her.

Neither one knows how they ended up in Regina's bedroom. Limbs tangled, loud moans and heavy sighs. The night, was theirs.


End file.
